Great Escapes Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway: Dead of Winter Break by Kelly Brakenhoff

 

 

Today I’m participating in the Dead of Winter Break Great Escapes Blog Tour.  In this post you’ll find information about the book and author along with my review.  And be sure to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a Kindle copy of this title.

 

About the book . . .

  

Dead of Winter Break, A Cassandra Sato Mystery

Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Publisher: Emerald Prairie Press (November 17, 2020)
~340 Pages
Digital ASIN: B08KRG2T9D

  

Synopsis . . .  It’s beginning to look a lot like murder . . .

And Cassandra is knee deep in . . .

Suspects.

Her boss is dead, and the police are calling it burglary gone wrong. But when the killer comes after her, it’s going to take more than a pair of furry boots to keep the smart, witty Morton College administrator, Cassandra Sato, out of the deep. . .

Snow.

Her first Christmas in Nebraska could be her last unless her friends help unravel the mystery and housebreak her dog.

A fast-paced, holiday themed whodunit.

My review . . .  Cassandra Soto, Vice President for Student Affairs at Morton College, is an ambitious go-getter with dreams of an eventual college presidency. With the fall semester behind her, she is looking forward to a quieter winter term with fewer students and staff on campus. Cassandra needs a well-deserved rest after all the drama of the previous semester—from the culture shock and weather difference with her native Hawai’i, to navigating multiple bosses, to handling unexpected student accidents and death.  There is no rest for the weary, however, as trouble continues to plague the college administrator despite her dedication, organization, and attention to detail.  

 

The latest installment of this cozy series revolves around the murder of Gary Neilson, the former Morton president who has returned to the campus after retiring several weeks ago.  Why did Dr. Neilson agree to resume the role of president for the upcoming semester, and who would have reason to kill him?  A series of campus break-ins and robberies, a missing graduate student, and questions about what occurred on a good will trip to China by Morton students and associates draws Cass into a dangerous investigation.  Can she get to the truth without becoming a casualty herself?

 

Dead of Winter Break is an adventurous return to the town of Carson, Nebraska and its lively group of campus residents and townspeople.  The spunky Cassandra continues to show her ability to manage tricky town and gown issues while growing closer to a few of her colleagues.  She even adopts a furry sidekick—a dog named Murphy—further affirming her commitment to her new home.  But before Cassandra or readers of this series get too complacent, the story ends with the appointment of an interim president who is sure to give Cass a new challenge in the Spring semester.  I can hardly wait to see what’s in store in the next book in the series.

 

Giveaway . . .  Enter the Dead of Winter Break Giveaway for a chance to win a Kindle copy of the book by clicking here. 

 

About the author . . .  KELLY BRAKENHOFF writes the Cassandra Sato Mystery series including Death by Dissertation, a 2020 RONE Award Mystery Finalist; Dead Week, “a diverting whodunit,” (Publishers Weekly), and Dead of Winter Break, available in November 2020.

 

Kelly is an American Sign Language Interpreter whose motivation for learning ASL began in high school when she wanted to converse with her deaf friends. Never Mind and Farts Make Noise, her children’s picture books featuring Duke the Deaf Dog and illustrated by her sister, Theresa Murray, have quickly become popular with children, parents, and educators for promoting inclusive conversations about children with differences.

The mother of four young adults and a German Wirehair Pointer, Kelly and her husband call Nebraska home.

 

Author links . . . 

https://kellybrakenhoff.com/

https://twitter.com/inBrakenVille

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18964313.Kelly_Brakenhoff

https://www.facebook.com/kellybrakenhoffauthor/

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kelly-brakenhoff 

Purchase link . . .    Amazon 

 

Tour Participants . . .

November 16 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

November 16 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

November 17 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

November 17 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

November 18 – Socrates Book Reviews– RECIPE

November 18 – Island Confidential – REVIEW

November 19 – Baroness’ Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

November 19 – Christa Reads and Writes – SPOTLIGHT

November 20 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

November 21 – I Read What You Write  – GUEST POST

November 21 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

November 22 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST

November 23 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – GUEST POST

November 24 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW

November 25 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT

November 26 – Mysteries with Character – GUEST POST

November 27 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

November 27 – Diane Reviews Books – SPOTLIGHT

November 28 – This Is My Truth Now – REVIEW

November 29 – Brooke Blogs -SPOTLIGHT 

Note . . . I received a complimentary copy of Dead of Winter Break from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

This Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog.  It cannot be republished without attribution.

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

It's Tuesday . . . time for . . . 

. . . First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros . . . now hosted by Yvonne at Socrates' Book Reviews, where bloggers share excerpts from a book they have read, are currently reading, or are planning to read.

 

Today I'm featuring a recent blog tour read, Dead of Winter Break by Kelly Brakenhoff, the third book in the Cassandra Sato series.

 

Book Beginning:  Chapter One

December in Nebraska was best left to poets droning on about the dubious merits of frosty icicles and face-freezing temperatures.  Inside the stuffy Performing Arts Center, Cassandra Sato felt sweat rivulets slide down her back under her academic regalia.  Easing the light blue velvet sash a few inches away from her throat, she crossed her ankles and inhaled deeply to slow her heartbeat.

Moments earlier, while the Fall Commencement speaker--an economist who had graduated in the 1950s--launched the concluding salvo in his uninspiring remarks, Cassandra had glanced across the state at Board of Directors Chairman Alan Hershey, Master of Ceremonies and owner of an age-defying head of hair that never fell out of place.  Hershey had raised two fingers of his right hand and dipped his chin in a subtle greeting to someone in the audience.

 

 What do you think?  Would you continue reading?

Cassandra Soto, Vice President for Student Affairs at Morton College, is an ambitious go-getter with dreams of an eventual college presidency. The series is set in the town of Carson, Nebraska, where the ambitious native Hawai’ian finds herself dealing with the culture and climate shock of her new life in a small college town. 

 

 

 

 
This First Chapter~First Paragraph post was originally composed and/or compiled by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog.  It cannot be republished without attribution.    

 

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

It's Tuesday . . . time for . . . 

                                                      

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach, where bloggers post the first paragraph(s) of a book they are currently reading or planning to read sometime soon.   

Today I'm featuring a recent blog tour read, Dead Week by Kelly Brakenhoff. The excerpt shared is from an eBook version I received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Chapter One 

 If Cassandra Sato had to pinpoint the moment enthusiasm for her dream job faltered, it was when her weather app displayed a morning temperature of thirty-eight degrees with a predicted high of forty-two.  Morton College in mid-November had more in common with the arctic tundra than a tropical paradise.  

No one in her native state of Hawai'i would consider forty-two degrees a high temperature.  Ever. 



What do you think?  Would you continue reading?

Cassandra Sato, Student Affairs Vice President at Nebraska's Morton College, is a highly motivated, talented young woman determined to make her mark in the field of higher education.  Leaving her native Hawai'i and adapting to life in Nebraska proves challenging--both in terms of physical weather and cultural climate--but Cassandra is up to the task, despite the campus politics and personalities she must navigate for her professional survival as she settles into a small college town literally and figuratively miles away from home.  











This First Chapter ~ First Paragraph post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution. Sharing this original post on Twitter with appropriate recognition is appreciated.